What to do? Colleague in breach of contract.

[BennyC]

About 2/3 months ago we had an employee from another project transfered to ours when his finished. In the time he's been with us there have been several occasions where he has come in late or not turned up at all. Unfortunately he had a serious injury when on his bike last week and so was signed off work for a week leaving me to to run the department we usually have 3 people on, all on my own (as my line manager was on holiday who is also part of this small team).

His most recent excuse for being 3 hours late with no call was he 'slept through his alarm' due to 'these early starts'.

Today unsurprisingly there is no sign of him and he has made no attempt to contact the office manager who sits opposite me. We are all part of a small 'core team' for the project made up of around 7/8 people so are quit a tightly run ship.

There might be a genuine reason for his absence today but not calling takes the **** and is in breach of his contract. The office manager seems annoyed and unimpressed but doesn't ever do anything about it. The rest of my colleagues and I are becoming agitated with this double standard as more recently a colleague did something similar, not returned to work for a week after holiday with no call or explanation and was given a disciplinary for her to then do it again only this time she left for good of her own accord.

The one time I thought I was going to be late in my year of employement here, due to a dodgey car battery, I called my manager immediatley to let them know. I fixed the problem and got in on time anyway but I still had the decency to let them know. I value my job & employement and it's just good manners to do so.

Now I don't want to get the office manager in to trouble, we are a large multi-national company and HR seems to be the logical step but I don't want to be a grass and bring down a tonne of **** on to me.

It's annoying that we can all get out of bed and to work on time every day of the year so why can't he? No doubt if any of us were to do the same we'd be receiving a swift boot up the backside from management/HR.

What would you be doing? or how would you be approaching it without crossing the line or speaking out of turn?

BennyC

 

[LeJosh]

Warn him that it is not ok to do such a thing. One more time and it's bye bye. He's dragging the team down.

 

[MrMoonX]

grass, who cares unless your his manager

 

[Maccy]

Get him sacked and give me the job?

 

[BennyC]

Warn him that it is not ok to do such a thing. One more time and it's bye bye. He's dragging the team down.

I'm not really in the position to exert authority over him due to our 'titles'. I do however plan on ripping in to him and ridiculing him & making as many jokes out of it as possible tomorrow, if he turns up. In the hope he takes the hint.

grass, who cares unless your his manager

I couldn't care less about the employee but what I don't want to do is land my manager in trouble, even though technically they aren't doing their job properly. Replacing the trouble making employee is a bit of a PITA which is most likely why he's letting it slide. But to do nothing to enforce agreements made for his employment is a joke.

Also for the record we beleive he's a bit fond of the sauce as other colleagues have had the displeasure of being in a car with him on a journey to another office where he stunk of booze. He often smells of it too sometimes during the week so I'm told. He walks to work all of 15 minutes so it isn't like he can't get here, or at least pick up the phone.

Even when he does come in he'll slip in unnoticed and give reason when questioned rather than take my manager aside and appologies first thing.

I'd be throwing the book at him if I were in the position.

 

[Smithy0115]

Punching him in the ovaries is the only solution.

 

[Raumarik]

Take out a grievance against him for not being professional and putting added pressure on you, alternatively talk to the office manager on the quiet and state that it's stressing you out having to do so much on your own when he's not turning up or being reliable. In short you'd be hinting that you will be taking this to HR.

 

[Guerrilla]

Could you not have a chat to your manager about it?
Explain it's getting beyond a joke and mention it needs to be sorted by them, then if nothing is done take it further/higher. At least then your manager can't be too surprised by you taking it further if they fail to sort it.

 

[Cosimo]

Sounds to me like you’re a winging because you are on your own and have an axe to grind. You’re not his boss. If you complain you will get your own boss into trouble. I suggest you record every instance of lateness and send it to your boss. Then have a word with your boss, formally complain about him and ask for some action to be taken.

 

[LeJosh]

I'm not really in the position to exert authority over him due to our 'titles'. I do however plan on ripping in to him and ridiculing him & making as many jokes out of it as possible tomorrow, if he turns up. In the hope he takes the hint.

It's a damn shame really. There is being 5 minutes late once or twice but 3 hours without notice is just ridiculous!

 

[Dr Jack]

If you're not in a position of responsibility over him, it's not your place to do anything, it's his managers.

If his absence is directly stopping you working make clear to your manager that this is the case, otherwise just leave it.

 

[BennyC]

I suggest you record every instance of lateness and send it to your boss. Then have a word with your boss, formally complain about him and ask for some action to be taken.

As of today I'll be recording his absences.

If you're not in a position of responsibility over him, it's not your place to do anything, it's his managers.

If his absence is directly stopping you working make clear to your manager that this is the case, otherwise just leave it.

In his absence it places more work onto myself and my line manager. We can cope without him but it means we can't clear any back log from previous weeks that needs doing.

It's more the principle of the matter really. We'll see what happens if he returns...

 

[sammo62]

If he oversleeps then he can't call in can he?

He's in the wrong for it - but you should be mad about the oversleeping not the not calling in.

 

[Dave85]

It's your managers job not yours. Sounds like your moaning your having to work harder aww

 

[Dj_Jestar]

He may have already spoken to his manager, and explained a very reasonable but personal situation that is preventing him from getting in at a reliable time, thus the manager isn't disciplining him.

He may just want to get made redundant, too.

 

[MeEsH BaKkA]

Are you his boss? No? Do you get payed no matter if he is in or not?

If the above are right the why do you care?

If his absence is dragging your team down the again not your problem, it is for your superiors to deal with.

You are not payed to care about who is in or not therefore don't get involved IMO.

 

[J-FRO]

I'd do my best to make sure he was sacked.

Its not being a grass if it's for the benefit of the company and the team as whole. How can you work efficiently and productively if not everyone is putting in the same effort and abiding by the same work ethic.

He's not your mate and if he was he wouldnt be putting you in such a position.

 

[Six6siX]

Are you his boss? No? Do you get payed no matter if he is in or not?

If the above are right the why do you care?

If his absence is dragging your team down the again not your problem, it is for your superiors to deal with.

You are not payed to care about who is in or not therefore don't get involved IMO.

Whilst this is true, in that it may not explicitly be a job role, in the long term it could begin to jepoardise the project in terms of delivery timescales, for example.

Being a small team means that if one member does not pull their weight, the whole team/project suffers much more than if there were more people to cover workloads.

Ultimately, I'd imagine the team as a whole would get rewarded upon completion of a project or worst case, failure to deliver successfully could mean they are out of a job.

That being the case, I would say the OP has every right to get involved at some level. The attitude of "not being paid to care" does help anyone at all.

 

[BennyC]

If he oversleeps then he can't call in can he?

He's in the wrong for it - but you should be mad about the oversleeping not the not calling in.

I don;t expect him to call in whilst he is sleeping common sense would be to wake up and call in asap to say you have over slept, are sorry will be in shortly and will make up your hours.

He may have already spoken to his manager, and explained a very reasonable but personal situation that is preventing him from getting in at a reliable time, thus the manager isn't disciplining him.

He may just want to get made redundant, too.

If this were true my manager wouldn't be questioning where he is or asking us why he wasn't in.

Are you his boss? No? Do you get payed no matter if he is in or not?

If the above are right the why do you care?

If his absence is dragging your team down the again not your problem, it is for your superiors to deal with.

You are not payed to care about who is in or not therefore don't get involved IMO.

So if your colleagues came in late, or not at all and weren't pulled up on it or disciplined you wouldn't be bothered? Don't make me laugh.

 

[Dj_Jestar]

I don;t expect him to call in whilst he is sleeping common sense would be to wake up and call in asap to say you have over slept, are sorry will be in shortly and will make up your hours.



If this were true my manager wouldn't be questioning where he is or asking us why he wasn't in.



So if your colleagues came in late, or not at all and weren't pulled up on it or disciplined you wouldn't be bothered? Don't make me laugh.

Is your manager his manager too?

If not, that might be why..